on our broadcast here tonight, under fire, the secretary of veterans affairs responds to the outrage this evening and the demands that he resign over allegations that vets have died because of substandard medical care. new attacks by the terrorist that kidnapped those teenaged girls in nigeria as worldwide condemnation grows. a question of excessive force, citizens rise up in an american city where the police department is suspected of killing civilians at an alarming rate. and high anxiety. if you can stand it, 94 stories above chicago, a new way to lean out over the city of big shoulders. "nightly news" begins now. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening.

they have all volunteered for duty and served their nation with distinction. they have sacrificed and asked their families to do the same domestically and overseas and when they come home to the thanks of a grateful nation, they have every right to expect that that grateful nation will take care of them, but as we learn more about an unfolding health care scandal in the veterans administration, it's now clear that's not happening in all cases and some of our vets have been ig noerd, neglected, under treated and mistreated with sometimes fatal consequences. a former four-star general decorated combat veteran himself is trying to fix this and hang on to his job. today he sat down with our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski who starts us off tonight. >> reporter: for the troubled department of veterans affairs, it's a shocking scandal. as many as 40 veterans reportedly died while waiting for medical care at the va hospital in phoenix.

>> i am angry. >> reporter: in a rare television interview, he told nbc news he was surprised that the allegations but promised a full investigation. are you willing as secretary of veterans affairs to accept full responsibility? >> i am. i have and that's the reason the ig is down there doing the investigation. >> reporter: hospital whistle-blowers claim in an effort to improve performance records, administrators ordered thousands of appointment requests be diverted to a secret unofficial list, not to be reported. if they died, their names would disappear. one veteran said it took 18 months of combatting the system to get an appointment. >> you have to break through or basically do a full assault to get an appointment. >> reporter: veterans groups have exploded in outrage. the american legion has demanded his resignation. >> these are unacceptable things that have come about that led us to this decision. >> reporter: but he indicated

today he's going nowhere. they want you to resign or be fired. will you resign? >> i would say i would leave that with the president. >> reporter: he says the veterans administration lacks leadership, accountability and courage. >> the va unfortunately is quickly becoming a punch line in this country and that is bad for va, that's bad for veterans and bad for america. >> reporter: it gets worse. as investigators closed in on the phoenix va hospital, a doctor claims hospital officials ordered the records destroyed. >> data that was important for an investigation that had the significant potential of being altered. >> reporter: and in fact, the scandal is spreading. new allegations of falsified records have cropped up at va hospitals in austin, san antonio and fort collins, colorado. one vietnam veteran claims the va has lost its humanity.

>> we are people. we bleed, we cry, and we need these services and i don't want them to forget that. >> reporter: he is a graduate of west point. he was wounded in vietnam and rose to the level of general and army chief of staff. do you completely understand why there is that level of outrage right now? >> well, i think i do. i'm a veteran myself. >> reporter: reporters here at the pentagon have followed him for years, first as a general and then as va secretary and it seems today that even he will realize that the initial responses by the va to many of these scandals will still not satisfy many of those veterans. brian? >> jim miklaszewski, thanks for your reporting today from the pentagon. jim, thanks. the united states is gearing up for an urgent mission in nigeria tonight to provide military and other support to help find and secure the release of hundreds of kidnapped school girls as outrage grows in this

country and around the world. terrorists are showing no sign they intend to back down, in fact, quite the contrary. we get the latest from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: more than three weeks after the terrorist kidnappings, the protests in nigeria's capital are now quieter, but in the shadows of the burned out school 500 miles from the capitol, the terror is real. some of the girl's families hide at night in dread of boko haram returning. protected, they say, by police. a community leader speaking to parents on the phone describes one father's agony not knowing his daughter's fate. >> it is better to know she's dead. >> reporter: better than imagining her raped and sold as a sex slave. their fears are justified. not far away, another attack, hundreds possibly killed. the international community finally, slowly awakening. >> i'm the father of two young daughters and my reaction is the same of his and every father or mother in this land or in the world.

this is an act of pure evil. >> reporter: michelle obama tweeting, "our prayers are with the missing nigerian girls and their families." #bringbackourgirls. the pakistan teen shot for attending a taliban school, an icon for girls' education around the world. she sat down with nbc's bill neely. >> bill, in school, trying to study, thinking about the future, and suddenly some people came and just abducted them and now they are in a very difficult situation, and they are saying they can even sell them. so it is like beyond our thinking. >> reporter: great britain, france, the u.s., are now mobilizing. the u.s. will likely send surveillance drones, fbi assistance and military advisers and no helicopters. as of now, this is not a search and rescue mission.

nye jaer jeer ya has been helpless against boca haram. hillary clinton said boko haram is abominable, but nigeria's government is not without blame. >> the government of nigeria has been in my view somewhat derelict in its responsibility of protecting boys and girls, men and women, in northern nigeria over the last years. >> reporter: tonight in a striking contrast, nigeria's capital is hosting the world economic forum, the wealthy's corporate leaders, possibly diverting security forces that could otherwise be searching for the missing girls, brian? >> andrea mitchell in our washington newsroom tonight, andrea, thanks. we turn now to the crisis in ukraine. a new claim by vladimir putin he has now moved tens of thousands of his russian troops away from the border with ukraine, but it's not at all clear if that has actually happened. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel following it all from donetsk in the eastern part of the country.

richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. if it were true, it would be a major development to de-escalate the crisis here. the problem is, according to nato officials, u.s. military officials and u.s. intelligence officials, it isn't true. they are looking at the satellite and not seeing any significant change in russian troop movement. so why make the claim? vladimir putin today made many surprising statements. he called on russian separatists here in eastern ukraine to postpone a referendum on independence that they've been planning to hold. he says he wants an end to this crisis. it seems that putin is trying to present himself as a peacemaker, not an aggressor. it could be a tactic, brian. >> richard engel in donetsk, ukraine, for us tonight, richard, thanks. a big part of this country is dealing with an early heat wave tonight with records being broken and farmers now facing a tough time just as their growing season, in many cases, just now gets under way.

nbc's janet shawnly covering for us in clearwater, kansas, tonight, hey, janet. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. this field should be full of young corn right now, but they have not replanted because it's simply too dry. they are hoping for a significant rain, but odds are, they are not going to get it. it's the biggest crop in kansas, but wheat this year is in trouble all over the state. >> this is probably one of the worst crops at this stage that i've seen in my 52 years. >> reporter: john jenkinson is an ag specialist. his family has been in farming for generations, and he knows this year's harvest has been hard hit just by looking at it. >> this wheat should be waist high on both of us. >> reporter: that's less than half what it should be. >> and we're going to have more than less of half of a crop than we should. >> reporter: kansas is lock in a heat wave, august-like temperatures in early may. it was as high as 103 last weekend. and could it be, wichita saw

snow just three weeks ago. today it's in the 90s, and the searing hit is blanketing the southern plains. wichita hit 95 today, a record kansas city 15 above normal and concordia, kansas, 98 degrees, breaking a 127-year-old record. >> what you see on this map is where we expect temperatures to be either colder or hotter than they normally would be. of course, where the drought is so bad, temperatures are going to be hot, because the atmosphere's just going to going to bake. we expect the drought to build even more so into the plains as we go through the summer months. >> reporter: in oklahoma, it could be another 1930s type dust bowl says the usda. 39% of the wheat crop there is in poor or very poor condition. a tour last week of farms in kansas forecast the weakest crop in 18 years in the top u.s. wheat-producing state. >> all of the rain in the world isn't going to help this wheat. >> reporter: and you can see how dry and windy it is here. beyond the crops, the heat has

taken a tremendous strain on public utilities. in wichita alone, water uses up 25% in the last week due to the heat. brian? >> janet shanley live in kansas for us tonight. janet, thanks. one more note on all the severe weather we've been seeing. president obama was in arkansas taking a look at the destruction from the tornados that ripped through that state ten days ago now, killing 15. as we walked through one hard hit area, the president said when something like this happens, it happens to all of us. he did that by way of pledging the federal government will be there until these communities are all rebuilt. teams of federal agents fanned out across the country today in a widening crackdown now on the growing black market for synthetic drugs. dea said its agents arrested more than 150 people, served 200 warrants, seized $20 million in cash and assets, drugs included synthetic marijuana and bath salts. yesterday was primary day in a few states, and one election result still a cliff hanger,

featuring a well-known candidate and would-be member of congress. former "american idol" star clay aiken is in a slim lead for a house seat in north carolina's second district. there are some outstanding ballots. it still hasn't been called. winner of the democratic primary faces an uphill fight against the republican in november. there's a full wrap-up of primary results in the politics section of our website. still ahead on our broadcast tonight, citizens rising up against their police department and charges of excessive force following a series of shootings captured on video. and later, the highest lookout of its kind in all the land. leaning out over chicago, a first look tonight at the view from above that won't be for everyone.

we are back with a report of a city on the edge with a use of excessive force often recorded on video.

the police in albuquerque, new mexico, have been apprehended by the department justice protestors disrupted a city counsel meeting earlier this week and plan to do it tomorrow night to make sure their message gets heard. we get our report from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: scenes like this sparked outrage over the tactics of albuquerque police, a homeless man carrying small knives is accused of illegally camping in mid-march and ordered to surrender. they fire a stun grenade at his feet. when he fails to respond, they open fire killing him. in the past four years police in albuquerque shot 29 people, killing 26. on monday, protesters disrupted a meeting of the city counsel, accusing officials for failing to do enough in response. >> i think it sends a real message that the status quo has got to go. >> reporter: the meeting is rescheduled for tomorrow but the protesters say they will be back. >> should demonstrate the level

of frustration, and it's a level of frustration among people that live in albuquerque that has risen to the level of fear. >> reporter: in a blistering report the justice deputy said police in albuquerque are too quick to use deadly force over people who only pose a minimal threat. use inappropriate force including tasers on people who are passably resisting or non-threatening and use more force than needed when handling people with mental illnesses. with roughly 1,000 officers, albuquerque's police department is new mexico's largest. now police there find a community skeptical of every use of force. last weekend, police released only a short video clip after officers had shot and kill add 50-year-old air force veteran, armond martin. police say he had threatened his wife and their two children with a gun and ran out shooting. investigators said this video showed him with the gun inside. albuquerque says it will do more to increase police training and oversight. it's the latest city to face federal criticism of excessive force as the obama

administration more aggressively polices the police. pete williams with nbc news live at the justice department. we'll take a quick break here. we're back in a moment with the star of the sports world proving why he's the most valuable.

there's space news tonight, as we've said repeatedly, there are a host of websites and apps that will let you grab the kids and let you know when you can go outside and watch the international space station fly over where you live, shining brightly, moving fast against the night's sky. well, now as of today, we can see what we look like from up there in realtime. they are over 200 miles up moving at 17,000 miles an hour, and now they are live streaming it all in high definition. you'll see a sunrise and sunset every 90 minutes. there is a link to it on our website tonight. while we have a more extensive report on this next

story in the days to come, we wanted to alert you to a nauseating sight in one of the most beautiful places, most breath taking places in our country. someone sadly is poaching the giant redwoods in california, cutting into them with chain saws, hacking into them for the burrowed sections of the wood, the outgrowths that are similar to large barnacles. they are prized for their wood grain patterns. it's believed some of the poachers are meth addicts. the wood can sell for thousands of dollars. our national treasures have paid a high price. these are 1,000-year-old trees, already one has been killed and many of them have been permanently harmed. after all the negative attention directed towards the nba, one team owner in particular, thankfully, we got to see just yesterday the very best of the nba. four-time scoring champion kevin durant of the oklahoma city thurnd was accepting the most valuable player award when he decided to dedicate the honor to his mother, who was there at the ceremony.

wanda pratt was a single mother of two boys by the age of 21. durant made it clear without her, he wouldn't be where he is today. >> we weren't supposed to be here. you made us believe. you kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. when you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. you went to sleep hungry. you sacrificed for us. you're the real mvp. >> kevin durant, the nba's most valuable player. "jet magazine" is ending publication of its print edition, right on the heels of "ladies home journal" doing the same. jet is switching to the web after 63 years in print. while the slogan used to be if it isn't in "jet" it didn't happen. these days "ebony" enjoys a huge

lead in circulation. our company made news today. the olympics agreed to a 8 billion deal with nbc for broadcast rights to the olympics through the year 2032. that's a long time, and the deal includes the rights to games in cities that have yet to be selected. the last summer games in london, most watched in u.s. television history, the ioc did not put the rights out for bids this time, they instead, approached the network about an extension. when we come back here tonight, a spectacular view from above and as you'll see, as we say, not for everyone.

finally here tonight, fair warning, hang on to something as we take you high above chicago for a new attraction opening this weekend. as we've said, decidedly not for those who fear great heights. it's for those with strong stomachs who love a great view over a great town. we get a preview tonight from our man in chicago, nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: you've got to crane your neck to see the newest attraction, or travel up 1,030

feet to the # 4th floor of the john hancock center. they call it, tilt. not perhaps for the faint of heart or the weak knees. >> like to see someone else do it first. >> reporter: a unique observation platform for up to eight people that, as the name suggests, tilts out at a 30-degree angle. >> is this going to stop? >> reporter: scraping the sky, with spectacular views of up to 50 miles, then there's the look down, way down. >> wow. were you blown away by this project? >> not literally, but yes. >> reporter: the structural engineer helped build it using three hydraulic lifts and three laminated layers of structurally tempered glass. after all, this is the windy city. is it a thrill? >> very much so. >> reporter: even for you who built it? >> i'm not a big fan of heights. >> reporter: those with feet planted down below overwhelmed, at least by the description. you come right out and then you

look down, and it comes out, and you go. tilting where no one has tilted before. >> i would never do that. >> reporter: you're never doing it? >> nope. >> reporter: why not? >> scared of heights. >> there is a factor of fear at the bottom that i am not, not a fan of. [ laughter ] >> reporter: would you do that? >> yes, sounds exciting. i would do it. >> reporter: you would? >> yes. >> reporter: heart-stopping views of the second city. >> holy cow. >> reporter: safely from the other side of the glass. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> enjoy the view, what could go wrong? that's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. right now at 6:00, from movie directors and tech leaders, president obama touches down for a swing through california. good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. >> today it's los angeles. tomorrow it's the silicon valley. one of the events on his agenda happening right now at the usc campus. he's expected to attend a gala hosted by steven spielberg. air force one landed about an hour ago. we'll be seeing this plane

tomorrow afternoon at moffitt field. it's a busy schedule of events for mr. obama cheryl hurd is on our presidential detail. she joins us from the walmart where he will be speaking on thursday. >> reporter: it is no coincidence that people are running around sprucing up this walmart store. it's not every day the president drops by your store. for some, this visit is a little surprising. on friday, president obama will come to this walmart store in mountain view to talk about the importance of energy efficiency. uc berkley's director is of a little surprised. >> they haven't been the stellar company on many issues. however, if they were to act. if they were to raise wages. if they were to